What is CVE-2017-6951?

CVE-2017-6951 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476). CVE-2017-6951 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2017-6951?

CVE-2017-6951 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity. The vector string is CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2017-6951?

No patch is currently available for CVE-2017-6951. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.

Is CVE-2017-6951 actively exploited?

CVE-2017-6951 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. See MITRE CWE for full details: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/476.html

CVE-2017-6951

Medium

The keyring_search_aux function in security/keys/keyring.c in the Linux kernel through 3.14.79 allows local users to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and OOPS) via a request_key system call for the "dead" type.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2017-03-16

Last modified 2026-05-13

CVSS version 3.0

Patch available

Awaiting data

CVSS 3.0 score

5.5

out of 10

Medium

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

None

Availability

High

Vector string

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-476

CVE-2017-6951 is a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability

What is NULL Pointer Dereference?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. Learn more on MITRE CWE

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2017-6951 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Securityfocus
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/96943

Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
Spinics
http://www.spinics.net/lists/keyrings/msg01845.html

Mailing List Third Party Advisory
Spinics
http://www.spinics.net/lists/keyrings/msg01846.html

Mailing List Third Party Advisory
Spinics
http://www.spinics.net/lists/keyrings/msg01849.html

Mailing List Third Party Advisory
Red Hat
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:1842
Red Hat
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2077
Red Hat
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2669

Details

CVE ID CVE-2017-6951

Severity Medium

CVSS score 5.5 / 10

CVSS version 3.0

Published 2017-03-16

Modified 2026-05-13

KEV No

Patch Awaiting data

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-6951?

CVE-2017-6951 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476) . CVE-2017-6951 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2017-6951?

CVE-2017-6951 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.0). The vector string is CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
Is there a patch available for CVE-2017-6951?

No patch is currently available for CVE-2017-6951. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.
Is CVE-2017-6951 actively exploited?

No — CVE-2017-6951 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
What is NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. View CWE-476 on MITRE CWE →